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Paul Cairney

Paul Cairney is Professor of Politics and Public Policy in the Department of History and Politics. He is a specialist in Scottish politics and public policy, currently completing (with Neil McGarvey, Strathclyde) a second edition of 'Scottish Politics'. He is also a specialist in the study of policymaking, currently writing a single--authored book entitled 'Policy and Policymaking in the UK' and co-editing (with Robert Geyer, Lancaster) a book on complexity theory and its applications to policymaking.

His articles have been accepted for publication in leading journals including British Journal of Politics and International Relations, British Politics, Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, European Journal of Political Research, Journal of European Public Policy, Journal of Legislative Studies, Journal of Public Policy, Journal of Social Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Policy and Politics, Political Studies, Policy Studies, Policy Studies Journal, Political Quarterly, Political Studies Review, Public Administration, Public Policy and Administration, Regional and Federal Studies, Scottish Affairs and Scottish Parliamentary Review.

History

Posts by this author:

Profs Paul Cairney, Nicola McEwen, Aileen McHarg, Karen Turner and David Wilson recently received a UKERC grant to research UK 'energy systems' in the context of multilevel policymaking. They explain that, just to start with, this will require defining many of the subjects of their research.
In S... Read more

Now is the perfect time to think about maximising the benefits of Scottish devolution. The first independence referendum produced important new constitutional changes, enshrined in the Scotland Act 2016. It now seems unlikely that there will be a second referendum any time soon. So, we have a window... Read more

Nicola Sturgeon's announcement of a bill and consultation to pave the way for a second Scottish independence referendum may be a way of keeping activists happy while waiting to see how things unfold, says Paul Cairney.
Nicola Sturgeon has announced a consultation on a new Bill on Scottish Indepen... Read more

My gut says that there will be a second referendum on Scottish independence and that Yes will win comfortably. Yet, predicting political events and outcomes right now is like predicting the weather. The result is not inevitable, largely because the key factors prompting people to vote No have not go... Read more

Amidst a bewildering array of claims and counterclaims, Dr Andrew Glencross and Prof Paul Cairney offer some advice on how to wade through all the information on ‘Brexit’ to make an informed choice.
We often hear that citizens don’t have enough information to help them make a decision about the EU... Read more

Paul Cairney looks at what the Scottish election result means for the future of the union. This post originally appeared on The Converstion.
It did not take long for political parties and commentators to start making confident pronouncements about what the Scottish election result means for the futu... Read more

After the high drama of #Indyref and the cliffhanger-that-wasn't of #GE2015, this year's Scottish Parliament election campaign may have seemed a little modest by comparison. However, says Prof Paul Cairney, it has had its talking points.
It would be tempting to ignore the Scottish Parliament elec... Read more

Much has been made of the new powers and responsibilities moving from London to Edinburgh but, asks Paul Cairney, will anyone notice a difference?
The prospect of greater taxation and spending responsibility for the Scottish Government allows us to revisit the idea that further Scottish devolution... Read more

The Scottish Government just launched a National Conversation on how the new powers contained in the Scotland Bill 2015 should be used. Paul Cairney suggests that there are two ways of looking at the exercise.
This week, the Scottish Government launched a new national discussion. Unlike in 2007,... Read more

Constitutional discussions frequently obscure wider policy debates in Scotland, says Paul Cairney. His current research demonstrates that, as well as being obscured by constitutional clashes, issues of inequality are frequently treated with flashy quick fixes at the expense of long-term results.
... Read more

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Latest blogs

The first stage deal reached between the UK and the EU27 is an important staging post, says Kirsty Huges, but any suggestions that this opens the path to an easy future relationship are wide of the mark.

The current compromise on the border issue between Northern Ireland and the Republic relies on a subsequent technocratic fix, which, says Michael Keating, provides ample material for arguments in the course of the next round of negotiations.

Richard Parry reflects on the first-stage agreement between the UK and EU that defuses political of tension but has little comfort for the proponents of Brexit and leaves all to play for in the territorial politics of Britain and Ireland.

The fundamental issue with Clause 11 of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which allows the UK parliament and government to retain competence in areas of devolved responsibility, is one of trust, says Nicola McEwen.